Search for missing North Hollywood man continues near Ragged Point

Authorities continued to search for a missing North Hollywood man Wednesday, after rainy weather forced the effort near Ragged Point to halt last Friday.

Brian Fernandez, 21, was last seen with his girlfriend, Olivia Hannah Gonzalez, 20, on Dec. 23 while on a Christmas week trip to Big Sur. On Jan. 4, officials found Gonzalez’s body and the body of a dog near a wrecked car at the bottom of a steep coastal cliff near Ragged Point. A second dog’s body was found a few days later.

The mangled tan sedan was later confirmed to be Fernandez’s car.

Authorities have found no sign of Fernandez. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said the agency does not suspect foul play.

On Jan. 6, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said it needed to suspend the search for Fernandez because of bad weather. Cipolla said the crews would look for him until Wednesday night and continue the search Thursday, weather permitting.

The search started at 2 p.m. Wednesday and involves search and rescue crews from the Sheriff’s Office and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, as well as a Monterey sheriff’s K-9 unit and the California Highway Patrol.

The car was pulled from the bottom of the cliff last Thursday and was taken to a facility to be investigated, CHP public information officer Patrick Seebart said. The results of an autopsy performed last week on Gonzalez are pending.

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Search for missing North Hollywood man continues near Ragged Point."